The late 1920s excavation of royal tombs at Ur, in southern Iraq, provided one of the most renowned discoveries in the history of archaeology. Extravagant jewelry of gold, lapis-lazuli, and carnelian, cups of gold and silver, and extraordinary objects of art and culture were among the Mesopotamian treasures uncovered by renowned British archaeologist C. Leonard Woolley in a joint expedition by the British Museum and Penn Museum. The remarkable tombs opened the world's eyes to the full glory of ancient Sumerian culture (2600-2500 B.C.) at its zenith.